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HEADLINES: The final figures are tallied, and the Friends of Susquehanna County Inc. Harvest Fest, held Sept. 26, in Hallstead, PA, was a resounding success. The sale of apples, cider, mums, delicious homemade jams and jellies, pies and refreshments, along with a gigantic rummage sale, plus generous donations from area businesses added to the total. The Board of Directors of the Friends, along with input from our members, will be determining the distribution of funds to be in compliance with our mission in the county. In 2008 the Friends contributed to the Susquehanna Branch Library's computer matching fund grant, the Friend to Friend Thanksgiving dinner held at the Great Bend Senior Center, and the NEPA Health Center equipment. The Friends also awarded its first Volunteer Award to Cassandra Summers, a senior at Blue Ridge High School for her community service work. The Friends hope to award a senior in each of the six county high school graduating classes in 2010. The passing of a member of the Friends of Susquehanna County Inc., Agnes Jones, was noted at the October meeting. The group will give a donation in Agnes' memory to the New Milford United Methodist Church. Agnes played organ at the church for many years. The Friends of Susquehanna County Inc. will hold its annual meeting at 6:30 p.m., Monday, November 9, at Dobbs Restaurant in Hallstead. The meeting is open to the public but a reservation must be made by Nov. 5. A short presentation will be made by several county organizations that the Friends have worked with in the past or may in the future, followed by dinner from the menu at the attendee's expense. New members are always welcome. To attend the dinner or for information about the Friends of Susquehanna County, contact Alice Deutsch at (570) 756-2044 or Susan Gesford at (570) 278-2908.
Five Steps To A Greener Car It doesn’t matter if the car you’re driving is new or old, big or small. Driving technique and proper vehicle maintenance go a long way toward protecting the environment. By following five simple steps, you can do your part by improving gas mileage, which will also save money at the pump. Drive Green - How you drive has a lot to do with fuel economy. Avoid sudden starts and stops and go the speed limit. Jerky and aggressive driving decreases your miles per gallon (MPG) and increases wear and tear on your vehicle. Minimize unnecessary miles by combining errands in one trip. Get a Tune-Up - Regular tune-ups, maintenance and having clean air filters will help your car pollute less and burn less gas. With a proper tune-up, you can save four percent on the cost of gas and up to 40 percent by replacing a faulty oxygen sensor. Simply changing the car’s air filter can improve efficiency by 10 percent. Lighten the Load - Get the junk out of the trunk and the stuff out of your car, with the exception of emergency items such as a spare tire, flares and a first-aid kit. Extra items weigh the vehicle down and cause an increase in gas usage. Tire Checks - Around two billion gallons of gas each year could be saved if the tires on every American’s car were properly inflated. Optimal tire pressure for your vehicle is listed in the owner’s manual. Tires that are not properly inflated add rolling resistance that makes the engine work harder to move the vehicle. All of this increases fuel costs as much as three to five cents per gallon, and increases the risk of engine damage. Gas Caps and Fill-Ups -Approximately 17 percent of vehicles on the road have loose, damaged or missing gas caps, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year. Topping off your gas tank when filling up your car can also release harmful vapors into the environment. Vehicle owners who do their own maintenance should remember to recycle or properly dispose of fluids and other vehicle components, including used motor oil, tires and batteries. For more information about making your vehicle environmentally friendly, visit www.carcare.org and check out the popular digital Car Care Guide.
County Retirement Board Gets Review On Wednesday, October 28, the Susquehanna County Retirement Board met with their consultants from the Seneca Group to review the Employee Pension Plan. For the 3rd quarter the portfolio rose 9.63% or approximately $900,000. Year to date the portfolio has risen over 13%. Despite the extreme volatility, the plan was able to post a positive return in a market that was flat for the last twelve months. The Seneca Group reiterated their concern that equity markets seemed expensive and recommended taking profits and moving more conservatively.
Janicelli Recertified As District Judge HARRISBURG – Magisterial District Judge Peter Janicelli was again certified for service as a member of Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System after successful completion recently of continuing legal education course work. Conducted by the Minor Judiciary Education Board (MJEB) and the Administrative Office of Pen Courts (AOPC), the educational facility for Magisterial District Judges is held in Harrisburg, PA. The week-long program is designed to ensure that Magisterial District Judges remain current in a variety of legal topics and management techniques required to fairly adjudicate cases and effectively supervise a district court office. Included in this year’s curriculum are updates on Civil Law, including Bankruptcy Law and Landlord/Tenant Law, Criminal Law and the Motor Vehicle Code; courses pertaining to Understanding & Valuing Diversity, Tobacco Sales to Minors, Clean Indoor Air Act, MDJS Rewrite Update, State & Procedure Audits & Reports, Protection from Abuse Update, and Overview of the Supreme Court Criminal and Minor Courts Rules Committees, Non-Discrimination Policy, Rule 509, Updates and Evidence, Arrest and Administrative Warrants and Risk Management for Depression and Stress. Continuing education course work is required by statute of each of the more than 500 Pennsylvania Magisterial District Judges, with approximately 50 Magisterial District Judges attending one of 13 such classes at some time during each academic year. Magisterial District Judges represent the “grass roots” level of Pennsylvania’s judicial system. In counties other than Philadelphia, District Judges have jurisdiction over summary, criminal and motor vehicle cases; landlord/tenant matters; and other civil actions where the amount claimed does not exceed $8,000. Magisterial District Judges may also accept guilty pleas in misdemeanor cases of the third degree under certain circumstances. Magisterial District Judges also have jurisdiction to issue arrest and search warrants and to hold arraignments and preliminary hearings in criminal cases. Established by Constitution, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts provides support to the Supreme Court in exercising its supervisory duties over each of the other state courts. The Minor Judiciary Education Board was established by legislative act to administer the continuing education program for Magisterial District Judges, Philadelphia Traffic Court Judges and Philadelphia Arraignment Court Magistrates (formerly Bail Commissioners), as well as certifying courses for Magisterial District Judges, Philadelphia Traffic Court Judges and Arraignment Court Magistrates and other initial jurisdiction court judges.
Feed-A-Friend Program Celebrates 25th Year Due to state budget battles and the economy in general, the Montrose and Oakland food banks were facing bare shelves a month ago. With winter coming on, Food Bank Manager Lynn Senick and Edlyn Flannery, Trehab Administration, wrote letters to area churches and service clubs, seeking their help. “It was amazing; donations of food and money began flowing in quickly,” said Senick, and the two food banks are now stocked and ready to help needy county residents over the fall months and the Thanksgiving holiday. The two food banks are managed by TREHAB with a small staff and lots of volunteer help. It was in part to honor these volunteers and all who support the food bank program that this year’s Feed-A-Friend luncheon kicked off such a special season. It also marked the program’s 25th year of providing Thanksgiving dinners with all the fixings to needy families and individuals in Susquehanna County. This year’s luncheon was held at the Montrose Bible Conference’s Dreyer Hall Tea Room on Tuesday, October 13, with some 40 guests and TREHAB staff in attendance. Dennis Phelps, TREHAB Executive Director, welcomed attendees and noted that the Feed-A-Friend program began 25 years ago in cooperation with WNEP Channel 16 and has been operated by TREHAB on an annual basis through the food banks and the community services programs. He added that with the state budget impasse, funding to stock the food banks was not coming through, but the community has helped greatly during this crisis. Among those who helped out at this time were: Lanesboro, Dimock, South Montrose, and Susquehanna Community Churches; Holy Name of Mary, St. John’s, and St. Martin of Tours Catholic Churches; Montrose, Susquehanna, North Jackson, Retta, East Rush, Rush and Fairdale United Methodist Churches; Uniondale and Montrose Presbyterian Churches; St Paul’s Episcopal Church; Montrose Square Apartments, Friends of Salt Springs, and the Monday Club of Susquehanna. According to Senick, many individuals “have dropped in with anonymous donations.” A most welcome and much needed donation of meat came during the Harford Fair, when the grand champion steer, raised by 4-Her Jessica Sheruda, was purchased by Carrizo Oil & Gas Company which then donated it to the TREHAB food banks. Later, the Sheruda family of Dalton and Sheruda’s Down To Earth Equipment Rentals also donated a prize-winning market pig to the same cause.
John Paul and Carol Jones Two couples who have volunteered many hours helping out at the food banks and especially with the Feed-A-Friend effort were honored with certificates from TREHAB: John Paul and Carol Jones of Dimock, and Emerson and Eva Whitehead of Susquehanna. The two couples have participated in the program for a total of more than 17 years.
Emerson and Eva Whitehead On hand at the luncheon were many representatives of schools, churches, and service clubs to tell their plans for donating money, time, or goods to the Feed-A- Friend effort. Elk Lake, Susquehanna Community, and Montrose Area high school students and advisors explained some of their fundraising plans, which included, at Elk Lake, competitions in the lower grades, with the winning class enjoying an ice cream party, and lots of collecting and sorting of food donations. County Commissioners Leon Allen and Mary Ann Warren were both at the luncheon to urge the participants on in their efforts, to emphasize the need for this program, and to offer their help in the packing and delivery of the FAF baskets. Warren also announced that a raffle to be held during the annual Conservation District dinner would donate all proceeds to the food banks. PA Rep. Sandra Major specifically thanked the high school students for their help in the Thanksgiving effort, and also thanked Executive Director Phelps and the TREHAB staff for their 25 years of hard work for Feed-A-Friend. The food banks’ Senick responded that “we’ve got a good program and a good crew,” pointing to the many staffers and school and community volunteers at the 25th year celebration luncheon. Last year, the Feed-Friend Program served 1182 individuals - adults, children and the elderly - in Susquehanna County.
The Riding Every Stride Horse and Pony 4-H Club held their first meeting on Saturday, October 18 at 1:30 at the Hall residence. We welcomed two new members into our group and are awaiting two more! At this meeting, we discussed our hoagie fundraiser that will be held the first week of December. The profits will off set the cost of our members to attend the Horse Expo in February. We got started on our book work for the new year and discussed the trail ride on Sunday, October 25. We decided to meet at Sweet Water Farms at 11 a.m. and head out! On Halloween, we attended a reining demonstration in Tunkhannock and in December we are headed to Horse Loverz for a saddle fitting demonstration and shopping! Our next meeting will be Sunday, November 15 at 1:30 at BJ Carey's house. New members are welcome!
Jeff Benson Wins Susquehanna Bucks
Darlene Slocum presented Jeff Benson $100 in “Susquehanna Bucks.” The “Susquehanna Bucks” program, sponsored by the Susquehanna Community Development Association, promotes local shopping. Simply pick up a “Susquehanna Bucks” game card at any local business. Answer the questions about local businesses and return the card to People’s National or Penn Star Bank to be entered in a drawing for $100 in “Susquehanna Bucks.” The “bucks” can be redeemed at most Susquehanna businesses. Pictured (l-r) above: Darlene Slocum, SCDA Co-Chair and Jeff Benson.
Grausgruber Honored At Harvest Of The Arts From the enjoyment of the “International Food Festival” to the honoring of Susquehanna’s own Bill Grausgruber, the third annual Harvest of the Arts had something for the whole family. Beautiful weather only added to the pleasurable Saturday and Sunday that saw people from all corners of Northern-Tier Pennsylvania and Southern-Tier New York visiting Susquehanna. The proceeds from this event funds art projects for all six Susquehanna county schools. The “International Food Festival” on Saturday, offered by the Susquehanna County Career & Technology Center (SCCTC) under the management of Donna Evans and David Dunster, was well patronized as word of the great offerings traveled around the event. All corners of the globe were covered by the bill of fare with selections from France, Japan, Italy, Jamaica and Spain, and could be topped off with either an éclair or a chocolate dipped strawberry. Bistro tables were available for those enjoying a lunch that was a far cry from the usual hot dog or hamburger offered at similar events. Artists and crafters had many unusual items to offer, as an area between the Fire Company and the Starrucca House was reserved for them Also on Saturday was a Youth Art Show with Barb Gallagher in charge and a Fine Art show under the direction of Jay and Sally Krimmel. Both were housed in the historic Starrucca House. There was a story time, puppet show, face painting, balloon artistry and other activities for the youngsters and music for all to enjoy. It was on Sunday evening, following the cocktail reception and prior to the art auction, that Bill Grausgruber was honored. The plaque presented to Bill was given in recognition for his efforts in preserving the historical value of Susquehanna, PA. Bill’s work does not stop with Susquehanna scenes but also features those from Great Bend and Windsor, NY. During a tour on Saturday, interested festival goers enjoyed viewing Bill’s works at NEPA Health Center, Peoples National Bank, Town Restaurant, American Legion and Haynes Department. Once again the untiring efforts of Alice Deutsch, Jay and Sally Krimmel and numerous other interested people involved with the planning made the Harvest of the Arts a true success.
Third graders at Blue Ridge School received Dictionaries from the New Milford Rotary Club. Barbara Hill and Ryan Stalker of the New Milford Rotary Club came to Blue Ridge Elementary School to present dictionaries to all third graders on Tuesday, October 20. Students were pleased to receive this useful educational tool. The New Milford Rotary has been donating dictionaries to the third graders for the past eight years. This is one of the many programs the Rotary participates in to help many children in our area as well as around the world.
Jenna Krall Donates To Locks Of Love
On October 21 Jenna Krall, a first grader from Susquehanna, decided she wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love since recently she had participated in a Cancer walk in Binghamton. She said she wanted to give someone a new look, so that's what she did. Jenna cut off 11 inches of her hair at CK's Hair Salon. Jenna’s family is very proud of her.
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